Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock 'n' Roll [Paperback]

"(Blue Monday) is not just a masterly biography, boasting rare access to its reclusive subject... but an expansive social and musical history, of how 1950s America spawned rock'n'roll, and how rock'n'roll changed America...Excellent." The Guardian"

This is the first ever biography of New Orleans rock 'n' roll legend, Fats Domino by a writer who obtained exclusive access to the reclusive singer. Rock 'n' roll defined the last half of the twentieth century, and while many think of Elvis Presley as the genre's driving force, the truth is that Fats Domino, whose records have sold more than 100 million copies, was the first to put it on the map with such hits as "Ain't That a Shame" and "Blueberry Hill". In "Blue Monday", acclaimed R&B scholar Rick Coleman draws on a multitude of new interviews with Fats Domino and many other early musical legends, including Lloyd Price, Charles Brown of "The Clovers", and members of Buddy Holly's group, "The Crickets", to create a definitive biography of not just an extraordinary man but also a unique time and place - New Orleans at the birth of rock 'n' roll. Coleman's groundbreaking research makes for an immense cultural biography, the first to thoroughly explore the black roots of rock 'n' roll and its impact on civil rights in America. A true music lovers' biography, "Blue Monday" includes new revelations about the politics behind the music labels of the 1930s and 40s, and provides a searing indictment of the great white myths of rock 'n' roll. Coleman also brings the African-American culture of New Orleans to life, and his narrative is passionate, compassionate and authoritative. "Blue Monday" is the first biography to convey the full scope of Fats Domino's impact on the popular music of the twentieth century.

Rick Coleman has been writing about music for twenty years. His work has appeared in many publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard, and he has written numerous short biographies on musicians, notable in liner notes for artists such as Fats Domino and Little Richard. He lives near New Orleans, Louisiana.